Bound by Sword
by RenamonRoxx
Summary: In an instant, 10,000 humans and 10,000 digimon are snatched away without a trace to a familiar steel castle. The Sword Art Online game is back, but this time its not avatars, its their real bodies.


I recognized the world from the disc case. This was SAO. The FAMOUS SAO. I was here! Normally I'd be exhilerated to be submerged into a game like this, where the creatures are so real you can touch them, a blade can get you anything you wanted or needed. Life was simple here. But I WASN'T exhilarated. Or excited. Or even happy about this. As I examined my surroundings, a quote came to mind.

"Well. We're not in Kansas anymore."

Let me explain. My name is Justin Arai. And if you were judging by my last name, you may have thought I'm at least part Japanese. But, I'm not. When my real dad left, my mom wanted to make sure we were well off. So my mother, that I love very much, married a high and mighty rich Japanese guy.

He made his fortune helping develop and sell the amazing SAO, Sword Art Online game. As much as I couldn't stand him, especially because he didn't even try to form any kind of bond with me, he managed to score me a copy and a nerve gear to play. I was so excited I didn't even bother with the manual. I just slipped the Helmet on my head, waiting for the clock to roll around to the official release.

My mother rudely yanked it off and told me we had guests from out of town coming in, and despite my protests, told me she didn't give a crap that it was release day and wanted me to talk to company. Several hours crawled by, and finally as night rolled around I ran up to my room, but before I could put the gear on, mom ran in behind me and grabbed the helmet. She ran back downstairs before I could say a word. Needless to say, I was pissed, cursing at her until I saw the newscast on the TV.

Ten thousand people locked into the game. 213 dead from forcible removal of the Nerve gear. And I was almost one of them.

I watched the news on the event for two years. Two thousand dead in two months. Two thousand more died over time. A final fourteen died in their sleep before the game finally released them from its grip. I'd heard it rumored someone had beat it.

My dad had tactfully separated all ties with Aincrad and its affiliates, claiming he knew nothing of what Kayaba had done. He managed to avoid the rabid mob of lawyers just barely, with his money intact.

But, you see, I still had my nerve gear. And I heard that after the whole junk with Alfheim Online being used as a front for brain and memory manipulation research, the VRMMORGP genre was fired up again with the Seed and the very kid who had beaten it and Sword Art had set up another SAO.

And so, despite my mother's protests, I had booted it up. I plugged in the game, pulled on my nerve gear (with added safeties) and took the full dive for the first time.

Only to be force kicked out for not having the the latest software.

I was mad, and since my 'Dad' was still dodging lawyers he refused to so much as pay for a copy of the new SAO for me, or any VR game for that matter. And so I fumed. I swore I would experience the world of Aincrad one way or another. And I got my wish.

"This castle has become most... disturbing." Stated Drasil, King of the Digital World.

He was referring to the mysterious steel castle of enormous proportions that had all of a sudden appeared in the skies near Server Tree. It had both eaten up and simultaneously given massive chunks of processing speed to the server, invisibly weaving through the complicated strata of the digital world, effectively integrating itself. King Drasil couldn't simply remove it, should it became problematic; it might cause irreparable damage to the entire server tree and thus the entire digital world. Most disturbing indeed.

"My King, shall we go examine it?" Questioned Craniamon, one of the King's royal knights.

The human-embodied ruler seemed to ponder for a moment. "Yes, one knight should keep watch over this castle at all times. Craniamon, would you take the first watch? Tell me what you see."

"Yes, my King!"

With that, the darkly colored knight leapt and flew into the sky, off to examine thoroughly the enormous castle that they now bore witness to. What he observed was shocking to all.

Humans had reentered the digital world again, without the aid of a gate. Not only that, 10,000 of them! Each bearing a weapon. It soon became clear that the humans could neither see nor hear through the digital sphere that encased the castle. Those outside could view in, but those in could not see out. To further complicate matters, the sphere was unbreachable, even for the benevolent king himself. No one could stop what was going on inside.

The knights, each one in turn, watched in horror. They learned all about what was going on inside by observation and convrrsations of people on the outskirts. And they also watched as the very people they had once fought valiantly on earth to protect were killed. One, by one, four thousand of them died. Two years spent. Then, without warning, the massive sphere emptied. The castle simply dissolved. The unbreachable sphere remained, but it was completely and utterly empty. And so it laid there, as if someone still had some purpose for it, even though it had no maker or purpose to begin with.

Until one fateful day, the large steel castle slowly began to rebuild itself. The knights reported this to King Drasil, who seemed very agitated at the news. But it wasn't like there was anything they could do. Just sit and watch the events unfold. The closer it became to completion, the more irritated the Digital King would become. Until one day he stood from his platform, realization dawning.

"NOOOOO!"

But it was too late. 10,000 digimon of all shapes and sizes were snatched away in an instant.

One minute I was sitting at the kitchen table, brooding about my situation and the next I was standing in Aincrad along with 10,000 other people. Yes. You heard me. Aincrad. I was in Sword Art Online. Only...

I hadn't had a Nerve Gear on.

I looked around to see many stunned and confused reactions, some were pinching themselves and others were just inspecting their surroundings. Some seemed scared.

I looked around out of curiosity to see what it was like. Logic states you should see cursors and health bars at least, like other RPGs. But no, nothing.

'Strange...'

Suddenly, a large red light flashed in the sky. It was a flashing, red hexagon suspended in the air, reading 'WARNING'. They started spreading from the first one, flashing 'WARNING' or 'SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT' on them until they blanketed the sky. An even darker red ooze began to seep from the cracks to form what looked like a kind of red grim reaper, minus the sickle. It was enormous, larger than all the surrounding buildings combined.

"Greetings, players!" The deep voice thundered from the faceless, red hooded mystery. "Now, many of you are probably wondering where you are or how you got to this so called game without a nerve gear. The answer is simple. This is not a game. These," he spoke with a gesture to the crowd of 'players', "...are your real bodies. Don't bother asking how, explanations would go far over your head. Suffice it to say, you were transported here and now must face the task that lay before you. Before I go any further, I just need to make a few adjustments to your parameters."

With a swipe he called his menu up, clicking several buttons. Suddenly, cursors appeared over every single person's head, followed by a health bar soon after. I jumped as the heath bar suddenly appeared in a corner of my vision, as did many other players.

People, I mean. People, not players. I won't get sucked in that easy.

There was no doubt this was real, the 'adjustments' made that obvious. But, would we play along? This was obviously Kayaba. This man had trapped people here, not once, but TWICE.

What's to stop him from doing it again?

Why should we play at all? Why not just hunker down and wait for him to give up and get us home?

Then again... why NOT play along? Its not like real life is any better. Sure, dying is easier here, but life isn't boring anymore. It sure is a heck of a lot better than just being normal.

My mom would be worried...

All the more reason to beat it. Play along, live a little... enjoy it? Just a bit. Don't exactly want people to know, a few people might think I'm sick in the head. I don't enjoy the fact I've been put here in this situation. People would die. Not an 'if'. It would happen. All I could do is protect myself and any who allied with me, if any at all. I would save anyone in a bind, if it was within my power. I won't let this world change me. But for me, this was kind of exhilarating. If this is what i think it is, i could see amazing creatures, fight epic battles, feel adrenaline surging through my system, and in some cases rebel against the laws of physics.

But, for the moment, I curbed my growing... excitement, and turned my attention to Kayaba. "Now. Having these modifications, your bodies will be able to withstand more damage, you will be able to upgrade yourself and your abilities, develop skills and fighting prowess, wield weapons efficiently, and receive buffs as well as channel energy. Learn, and fast, how to fight. Level up and keep fighting through each floor. You are on floor one. Each floor will have a boss, immensely powerful. To get to the next floor, you must beat the boss. To clear the game, uou must beat the bosson the hundredth floor. The top floor. And, to aid you on your journey, I have prepared a small surprise for you."

With that, he waved his menu open again, pressing buttons that I couldn't make out, given the distance. Suddenly, everywhere around the room, monsters of all shapes and sizes appeared. They, too, had health bars, in green, not red. So... friendlies? What the hell?

I almost missed what Kayaba said next. "These are creatures that inhabit another world somewhat similar to yours. Collectively known as digimon, each one of them belongs to a different subspecies. I suggest you learn about these sentient beings; I have pulled them from their world much the same way I have you. They are your fellow players and can be powerful allies, or dangerous enemies. I have made it so each player, including digimon, has a small guide on the workings of this world, a starter kit of their own choosing, and a small amount of starting currency. These should aid you as you try to clear the game. It is the only way to escape Sword Art."

Creatures, from another world? They were obviously intelligent, many of them seemed just as horrified of the circumstances and the responses varied from fear to anger to shock. Fascinating. Sentient, and just as captive as us. What did he want to accomplish here?

Once the game has been cleared, all players will receive a reward and be sent home. Beat the game. The fate of both your worlds depends on this. You will set the precedent for the generations after you in this world, and each of your homeworlds. Play the game, beat it, and i will explain everything to you. For the player who clears the final boss, the pivotal player of the fight, of the game, will lay a special reward. Farewell, you will not hear from me again."

With that, the red ooze seemed to flow over the cloak, disintegrating it, and flowed back up into the red panels above. With a sudden thud that seemed like a quiet thunder, the panels simply vanished from the sky. I observed the other player's reactions. Some were panicked. Others were going catatonic. Some were crying, some were screaming, some were laughing madly. I took special note of those latter players, burning them in my memory.

It's funny, my memory is usually terrible, plauged with forgetfulness and blank images. But as I turned away, every face was crisp and clear. I was usually slow and uncaring, not really applying myself to any task, but now i moved with swiftness and purpose. Here, I was alive. And like Kayaba said. Learn fast, otherwise die.

Thinking back to other RPG's, the guide would be helpful, and you could usually find more information and better tips and guides from NPC's. Normally I just avoid the info and play on my own to find out what to do, but in this case I'll make an exception. But first...

I moved slowly, doing my best to avoid bumping anyone and took special care around the ones that had twisted grins and manic expressions. I made my way carefully out of the square, just managing to slip away unnoticed. I ran behind one of the buildings a small distance away from the square, and decided to do some prep before I left the city entirely.

I mimicked the gesture Kayaba used to open his menu, lining my hand flat and vertical in the air, swiping down. With a slight jingle the menu appeared, and I tapped the holographic-like display to bring up the only item in my inventory. Kayaba had mentioned a starter kit, so lets see what we have.

I clicked it, bringing up yet another menu. This one seemed like you could scroll for an eternity, filled with all kinds of different weapons. There were bows, double handed swords, one handed swords of every kind from rapiers to longswords, daggers, spears, javelins, scimitars, even crossbows. You name the weapon, they had it. All manner of weaponry minus anything magic related and no guns of any kind. Each one was listed multiple times with different skills and equipment next to it, outlining the numerous build routes one could take.

They also had weaponry that bordered on the ridiculous. Massive, misshapen swords, outrageous battle axes, enormous metal gloves that flexed with your hand when you wore them. Among them was something that caught my eye. It was a sword, a huge one, that looked like it was made of thick, sharpened, fist-sized dragon scales in a pattern across the blade, sealed together with glowing red lines of energy. It was several scales wide, razor sharp on both edges of the blade. Called a DragonFlex, it was oddly shaped, the blade's edge curving in odd way, giving a wicked look to it. It could swap between weapon styles, from light and fast to heavy and damaging by re-arranging the scales. It took practice, according to the info on the weapon, to switch, and in its current state it would behave like a two handed sword. The initial difficulty wasn't too bad, but the swapping difficulty was off the charts. The other stats, the look of the blade, and the versatility called out to me, and i finally decided to grab it and the build that focused mostly on attack damage coupled with a little defense. I locked in the choice, pressing the accept button.

My weapon materialized in my grip, a sheath for said weapon fixing against my back firmly. Noting the fact the curves seemed to lock into each other in a way that allowed you to fold it, I bent the blade, moving as if it was hinged by some unseen force, until the curves of the blade locked into each other, allowing me to place it in its sheath. It wasn't anywhere near as heavy as I expected.

The armor menu appeared in front of me, asking if I would like to display or hide my armor, or whether I would like to show only certain pieces. I decided for a little flair, opting for my light, but defensive, overcoat to show, as well as a pair of fingerless, armored gloves that came up half my forearm. I colored dark gray around the cloth part of the gloves and the entire coat, with orange tinted armor on the gloves and orange lining, stitching, collar, and belt on the stylish overcoat.

With a quick nod of approval, I finished my appearance and did a double take on the crowd. They were getting restless, there was a lot of shouting, and some even were standing on others shoulders, riling the crowd with exaggerated gestures and words I couldn't make out. I needed to leave. I checked around a bit, noting a sign that told of the main exit to the city, and broke into a run. They don't need me here for all hell to break loose. I reached the gates, pausing to examine the trail before me. Then I saw it.

It came out of the alleyways with a one handed sword strapped to its back, two purple cloth fingerless gauntlets, armored on top, that engulfed its arms ending in a flair at the tip of the shoulder, and a loose set of black cargo jeans. A fox-like... What were they called? Creature thing, approached. It had small winglets on its shoulders, its fur was a luxurious goldish yellow, and a scowl graced its... uh, muzzle.

I returned said scowl. I didn't need this thing hanging over my shoulder to soak up XP and kill steal my monsters. "Hey, I don't know who or WHAT you are, but don't stick around. I dont know about you creatures, but humans tend to panic when they are scared and are downright dangerous when their life has been threatened. And don't follow me. I don't want you taking all my monster spawns and loot."

It looked confused at my last statement, but shook its head. And SPOKE. Or should I say, SHE spoke.

"It appears our two species may not be as different as I expected, then. I do not know what monster spawns are, but I do plan to survive, and the last thing I need is some pathetic human waddling around me, begging for food and shelter. Suits me fine to split." She said with a flick of her tail and a dismissive glance. YES, I MEAN HER. It is, in fact, a girl... monster whatever.

I felt a twinge of... something. Guilt, for leaving her to figure out leveling and playing when they might not have even have video games where she comes from, a bit of worry over her gameplay and my ability to handle myself, and a concern that now I had to eat and stay healthy in the game even during extensive field grinding. I cooouuuld use some help with the basics of survival... Gaming, sure. That was my thing, but surviving? Making ends meet, getting food and water, making shelter? I needed help. And I could teach her some things about the game... we might both need each other.

And it irritated me.

Already I was having to join with someone to stay alive in this stupid situation! I wasn't going to last a week. I could see the agitation, although masked, on her face. She knew it too. Her tail twitched back and forth.

I sighed and broke the silence. "Dammit."

She sighed and turned to me. "You thought the same thing didn't you?"

"Yep. Temporary truce then?"

She nodded, and I extended my hand in a shake, one she met with reluctance.

"Very well, we need to get out of this place now or risk being followed or worse, accused of knowing about this place." She stated with a nervous glance back to the mob, which was looking like it was about to erupt.

"Agreed." I examined the path before me. "I bet that this leads to the next town, village, or city. Getting there and taking out all the monsters on the way should level us up and keep us ahead of the crowd. Freedom of movement and easy XP are a good thing to have. Plus it would give us a chance to practice the combat system. Hopefully its covered in the guide. Once we reach the next city, we can get more info, quests, and equipment from the NPC, or non-player characters there."

Little if anything I said registered, but she nodded and readied herself. With a nod back to her, we both stepped outside the gate and onto the trail. A notification lit up the screen in front of us. "YOU ARE EXITING A SAFE ZONE!" and in smaller print below, "Your HP can lower and drop to zero, resulting in death. Good luck players!"

As the notification faded, all of it hit me. This, was SAO. This was life now. And if it took all I had, I would play to win.


End file.
